


Day 19 - Asphyxiation

by broken_fannibal



Series: Whumptober 2019 [10]
Category: Broadchurch
Genre: (kinda), Alec Hardy Whump, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Asphyxiation, Attempted Murder, Bruises, Choking, Gen, Hugs, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Whumptober, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-27 00:47:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21109931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broken_fannibal/pseuds/broken_fannibal
Summary: Please read the warnings and tags!Alec had escaped his kidnapper and now that he was at the police station, he thought he was safe. But he couldn't be more wrong.





	Day 19 - Asphyxiation

When Ellie arrived at the police station on Monday morning, she frowned at the group of people on the front steps. As she got closer, she noticed they were all police officers.

“What's going on?”

“We just found him here...”

She came closer. “Who is-” Her stomach dropped.

It was Alec...

He lay there, on the front steps on his belly, wearing nothing but a shirt.

“Is he-” she couldn't bring herself to say it.

“No. No, he's alive.”

“Oh, thank god.” she sighed. Still, she couldn't fight the sick feeling in her stomach. Was this why he hadn't answered her call last Friday? She hadn't thought anything of it back then...

She was torn from her trance when someone came running out of the building, a blanket in hand.

They wrapped it around him and picked him up.

Still, he didn't move, didn't make a noise. His eyes remained closed, his body limp.

There was a bruise on his cheek and he had a split lip.

She really should have gone to check on him... If she had maybe this wouldn't have happened... Or they could have at least started searching for him right then and there.

Alec was brought into a holding cell and put down on the bed.

Ellie hovered close by as one of the paramedics took off Alec's damp shirt to check him over for injuries.

There were a few bruises on his torso. But that was the worst of it.

Ellie was a little relieved, she had almost expected injuries or a broken rib.

A minute later Michael returned with a first aid kit. He cleaned Alec off, disinfected the split lip and pulled the blanket back around him.

While Ellie sat next to the bed, waiting for him to wake up, her thoughts picked up again. She couldn't stop them.

Had he been kidnapped? Or mugged and beaten up? The bruises suggested the former. But who would want to kidnap him? And why? It had been quite a long time since Alec had been involved in any big cases, especially any that didn't end well.

And why had he been almost naked when they’d found him? No kidnapper would do that, would they? Unless... his shirt had been a little wet... So maybe whoever had kidnapped him had been trying to let him freeze? And he had escaped? Was that it? Or had he been deliberately left on the front steps for them to find? What motivation could have been behind that?

She sighed and looked over at him again. At least he was here now, he was safe. He was... well... more or less alright. And he’d be able to tell them exactly what had happened when he woke up. Or so she hoped.

After nearly half an hour, he finally stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

Ellie immediately shuffled closer.

He groaned and blinked against the sudden brightness. He pulled a face and winced as he sat. Maybe he was sore? She couldn't imagine the kidnapper going out of his way to him comfortable.

Ellie reached out and propped the pillow up against the wall so he could lean against it.

Alec squinted in the bright light and slowly took in his surroundings.

He recognised the holding cell. That meant he was safe at least.

There was someone sitting next to the bed. He squinted, his vision was still a little blurry. After a minute he recognised her.

It was Miller, thank god, it was Miller. There weren't many occasions where he’d admit he was happy to see her, but this was one of them. He wouldn't have wanted to deal with anyone else right now. She knew him well enough to not ask too many personal questions.

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

He huffed as the ringing in his ears picked up again.

“Do you want anything to drink?”

He nodded.

“Alright. Tea?”

Alec shrugged. “Yeah.” He grimaced. Talking hurt, it felt like sandpaper in his throat.

She barely caught his answer, it had been so quiet, so rough. His voice was hoarse. He probably hadn't had much to drink. At least that's what she wanted to think. But he couldn't have been screaming, right? His injuries weren't severe enough for that. Unless... unless there were some they hadn't spotted. They had only checked his torso after all...

She took a deep breath, trying not to let those thoughts consume her. She looked at him a while longer before hesitatingly getting up. "I'll be back in a minute."

Ellie was leaning against the counter in the kitchen when Michael came to her. “How’s he doing?”

She shrugged. “He just woke up. Uh, seems a bit out of it. He hasn't said much yet.”

He nodded, looking every bit as concerned as she felt. “I’ll be right outside.”

“Good.” She poured the water into the cup and went back.

When she came back there was a man in the cell. He was looming over Alec on the bed, holding him down, choking him.

She called for help before trying to pull the man away. But he elbowed her in the chest. She reared back, then she punched him in the ribs and sternum.

The man looked up for a moment.

Alec gasped lungfuls of air. Until the man's hands closed around his neck once more.

Ellie tried again. She pulled at the man's hands to get them to ease up. But this time, his elbow hit her throat.

She gave a choked sound and tumbled backwards, disoriented.

In that moment, the man pulled Alec off the bed and pressed him up against the wall.

Alec’s eyes widened, panicking even more now. He scrambled and kicked. But it was no use.

Ellie kicked the man in the shin, punched him in the ribs, pulled at his arms, trying to get him to get his attention.

Eventually, the man's head whipped around, he moved one hand away from Alec’s throat.

Before she could finish the thought to try to pin his hand behind his back, he delivered a blow to the side of her head.

Her ears started ringing. She blinked against the pain, tried to regain her posture.

Alec took gulping breaths as the grip on his neck eased a little. But it didn't last long. The black spots in his vision hadn't even disappeared when his air supply was already cut off again. He raised his hands, tried to push the arms away, dug his nails into the man's arms.

But it made no difference. His hands were getting numb. The cold of the tiles bit into his naked back.

He couldn't breathe. He could barely see anything anymore. He had no fight left in him. Everything was too difficult, took energy he didn't have. He gave up.

This was it then, wasn't it?

He'd always hoped he'd get to die peacefully... no such luck...

Suddenly all the pressure was gone. Alec sank to the ground. He took deep breaths, taking in as much air as he could.

Ellie felt relief flood as she saw him starting to move again.

It had taken three of them to pull the man away.

She had feared it would be too late when Alec had gone completely still.

But now he was breathing deeply, his eyes were still closed, his hands motionless on the ground.

Only now did she notice that he was completely naked. The blanket he had been wrapped up in, lay on the bed. She quickly went to get it before kneeling down next to him and draping it over his lap.

Alec sighed and very, very slowly, with shaking hands, he pulled it around himself again.

She waited until his breathing had returned to normal until she helped him get up.

He winced as he sat down on the bed. His eyes slid shut and his grip on the blanket tightened. He took several slow breaths.

She watched him for a while, worried.

Alec just sat there, motionless, eyes unfocused. Hands holding onto the blanket like it was the only thing keeping him from slipping away.

This was all her fault, wasn't it? Had she gone to look for him last Friday, she would have noticed he was missing. Then they could have started looking for him.

Her throat tightened and she averted her eyes. She couldn't stand to see him like this. So quiet. So still. So hurt.

But then her eyes focused on a spot on the floor. She went to inspect it. It was white and roughly in the place, Alec had been sitting not even a minute ago. She frowned. What could- no!

Her stomach turned, she fought the urge to throw up.

It couldn't be... no, please, no. Oh, God...

She pressed a hand to her mouth.

No wonder he had looked terrified when the man had pinned him down on the bed.

She looked back at him but he was still staring into thin air.

She went to the door and called for Michael.

Outside the door of the holding cell, she explained what she had found. "Analyse it and see if it matches up with the man we have in custody.”

He gave a grim nod.

After Michael had left, she sat down next to Alec and caressed his back. “I’m so sorry, Alec,” she whispered.

He took a rattling breath and closed his eyes. Then he started trembling.

Suddenly, Ellie wasn't sure if it was okay to touch him. Did her touch make him uncomfortable?

So she moved her hand away, hovering over his skin.

He straightened a little, leaning back.

“Alec?”

He opened his mouth a little. But then he closed it again. He pulled the blanket tighter around himself, his jaw clenched.

“Talk to me,” she said softly.

But he shook his head. “Not now, Miller.” His voice was rough, ragged, broken. He still wouldn't look up.

She frowned, considering if she should take that chance. Well, what was the worst he could do? He could push her away and grumble some more. He didn't seem like he had it in him to start a fight. So she shuffled closer and pulled him into a hug, wrapping her arms around him and holding him.

He jumped at first, his body tense. For a moment it seemed like he was going to say something but then a shudder ran through him.

And then she heard it. A quiet sniffle.

He was crying.

Alec Hardy was crying.

It broke her heart. She closed her eyes and held him tighter.

If only she had gone to check on him that day. Then it wouldn't have come to this...

She couldn't help the tears that ran down her cheeks, she just hoped he couldn't hear her crying.

She started caressing his back.

It was the least she could do for now.

It was the least she could do after he had been held captive and raped because she hadn't thought to check on him.

Several minutes later his body went slack. She gently laid him down on the bed and pulled it up to cover his torso again.

With a heavy heart, Ellie went back to the table. The tea she had made for him was cold by now but she drank it nonetheless.

The bitterness didn't exactly help make her feel better...

She jolted when the door opened and quickly wiped a few tears away.

“Hey,” Michael said.

She tried to put on a smile but it ended up being more of a grimace.

“How’s he doing?”

“He's-” She took a shaking breath. “He’s not himself. Any results yet?”

“Uh, no. Not yet. But I’ve been told that he has confessed to kidnapping Hardy and coming here with the intention to kill him.”

“Shit.” Ellie’s eyes widened. “Has he said why?”

“No.” Michael shook his head. “But I assume it's personal. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so dead-set on going through with his plan. He was really angry when they told him he was alive.”

“You think it was his plan to kill Hardy all along?”

“Yeah, must have been.” He nodded.

Ellie couldn't help but look over at Alec again. He had turned onto his back now. But he still looked so worn-out.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it please consider leaving kudos/comments!


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